DefenseNews

It’s official: US Army’s improved M8 rifle to begin fielding in December

NEWINGTON, N.H. – On the factory floor at gun maker Sig Sauer’s headquarters, giant shipping pallets of the brand-new M8 Next Generation Squad Weapon rifle sit shrink-wrapped on shelves, ready for dispatch to soldiers. Fielding of the M8 carbine, which appears set to replace Sig Sauer’s M7 as the Army’s standard rifle less than three years after the M7’s initial fielding began, will…
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DefenseNews

Germany to set up first drone regiment next year, modeled after Ukraine war lessons

VIENNA — Germany plans to stand up its first dedicated drone regiment next year, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced, as Berlin attempts to institutionalize lessons from the war in Ukraine after years of domestic foot-dragging on unmanned warfare. Speaking Oct. 1 at the Bergen military training area during the army’s “Experimentalserie Land” trials, Pistorius said ground forces will…
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DefenseNews

Yemeni government launches offensive to seize all areas from Iran-backed Houthis

Yemen’s Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government said on Sunday it was launching a major military campaign to recapture all areas of the country controlled by the Iran-backed Houthis. The government’s armed forces would press the offensive “until the country is liberated from the grip of the terrorist militia,” Yemeni President Rashad al-Alimi said in a televised address. A…
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DefenseNews

Saudis plan assault on Houthis to break Red Sea chokehold

Saudi Arabia is planning an offensive against Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen, with options being considered, including a coastal push to secure the Red Sea shipping route or an assault on multiple fronts, regional and Western officials told Reuters. The operation…
DefenseNews

Ukraine war fatigue fuels defense-spending downgrade plan in Italy

ROME — Italian military planners risk losing out on €8 billion ($9 billion) in funding as government and opposition parties seek to cut both defense spending and support for Ukraine. The plans to limit spending emerged this week as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni continues to be squeezed between NATO spending targets and voter opposition to spending tax payers’ cash on arms not…
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